Hifiman1

Hello, what format's can the mark Levinson 2016+ GS 350 play?

I could get a DVD-A disk to work but it would keep repeating while driving? It worked fine with the parking brake engaged.

I burned a DTS CD with 5.1 24/44.1khz wav files and it would read and count, but would output no audio?

Does surround sound on or off matter? Is there an auto play option?

Cwang

Not nearly as many as it should. Basic DVDs really. 2ch LPCM is the best sounding format you'll get out of it. AC3 is the best surround you'll get. It's up to 448kbit so shouldn't sound as poor as MP3s.

I'd love to be wrong but I believe that you wouldn't be hearing the DTS mix you're paying for, it'll play the backup AC-3 or LCPM mix.
Our cars don't play high quality audio.
That's just simulating surround with 2ch files, it sounds awful so leave it off. It chops out the mids.

Hifiman1

DTS is capable of 1536kbs via DVD video/ Audio though.

Cwang

It's a shame our car doesn't support DTS! I wasted so much media until that clicked.

Hifiman1

So much for my wasted effort converting music to DTS WAV's.

What are my options for media in 5.1 then?

Am I stuck with dvd-A and DVD video then?

I'm trying to figure out what format's will play on these two format's then.

Cwang

Know the feeling
Basically AC-3 (Dolby Digital). I still think a 2 channel LPCM sounds better.
Yes. DVD-A may play because they often have a Dolby Digital or 2 channel mix too - this is my experience. Not really a premium system for such an expensive vehicle but it doesn't exactly sound poor!

Hifiman1

That begs the question, can I just convert my 6 channel WAV to AC3 with ffmpegX and burn it to a DVD?

Will that play without an issue or title screen?

Cwang

Yep, I don't see why not. Don't make menus or any of that crap, it makes playing them impossible (like Pulse). Remember the standard only allows 448 or whatever kbps in 5.1 dolby. I think that most albums in 'surround' sound better in LPCM 2ch @ 1536kbps - how many audio DVDs do you have that actually have a proper surround mix? Unless it was mixed by Steven Wilson it's probably just a stereo mix that has a % faded up back with more strings etc - the case with Nightwish's 5.1 cd. Still cool though. I'd love to get Porcupine Tree's catalogue in 5.1.

The Dark Side Of The Moon is a good quad mix which makes full use of the soundstage (sounds like it was made as a demo of the technique, it can be distracting).

I'd love to see what you're making, do post your progress. I spent hours learning how it all works. I'd like to think we could have a library of surround DVDs to enjoy in our cars!

Hifiman1

I enjoyed nightwishes 5.1 live surround SACD even how it was mixed.

The only cars with descrete surround are Lexus ML and Acura ELS.

Hifiman1

I think I got it figured out. I use sonore DSD to FLAC or use foobar or Jriver conversion.

Then use popcorn mkv for high res FLAC to AC3 640kbps 6 channel.

I currently have the surcode DTS DVD .WAV encoder. Which might be why the DTS CD didn't output audio. But like you said before, DTS cannot be played with the system right?

The audio system is only capable of AC3 or Dolby digital for surround correct?

Cwang

Yes, that's what my testing has led me to believe. Just keep in mind that AC3 can be coded into 640kbps but the DVD standard maxes out at 448.
Now here's a question, does our vehicle support 6 channel MP2? The standard supports 48 kHz sampling rate, 1 to 7.1 channels, up to 912 kbit/s. I might give that a go.

The one I've listened to was the DVDA version of the studio album Once - sounds great but really only a 3 channel mix, with the vocals faded out in the rear. Yet to hear From Wishes To Eternity(I'm assuming that's what you have), I think I have End Of An Era somewhere, keen to give that a go too - one of my favourite concerts.

Hifiman1

Yep 448kbps cap for DVD. What layer is being used for DVD audio if DTS isn't supported then? Must be marketing then.

Cwang

If you're referring to DVD-A then it'll probably still have a dolby 5.1 and 2.0 coded alongside the main DVD-A track - there's room for it all. Most DVD-A's should play in any DVD player given the dolby mix is there too - but it won't sound better than a standard DVD.
As for Lexus spending more money on marketing the 'surround' system than paying for a proper decoder - this is true. In their defense DVD-A never took off and people think bluetooth and streaming sound good - they're giving the market what they want.